New
Resource for Underwater
Rescue Training Provided in Ohio

Bowling Green (OH) – Ohio will have a new area
for training in underwater rescue when plans to sink a 54-foot jet are
carried out at Portage Quarry this weekend.

The Hamburger Flugzeugbau GmbH manufactured
HANSA jet will be at the heart of a training program for local rescue
agencies including the Toledo Water Rescue team. Last in service with
Grand Aire, with headquarters at Toledo (OH) Express airport, the HANSA
jet was transported from the airport to Portage Quarry on August 24,
2006. Plans are to place the jet in 50 feet of water with the tail
assembly starting at the 30-foot level.

“We have welcomed area rescue teams to hold
training at the quarry,” said Portage Quarry owner Jeff Rice. “This will
raise the bar in training and provide an artificial reef for fish and
recreational divers.”

Rice said he plans to close the Eastern half
of the quarry from 2 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, September 30, while the
plane is lowered into the water. Diving will be allowed on the West wall
only again on Sunday, October 1, while the plane is positioned into its
final resting spot South of Mike’s Rock near the center of the quarry.

Between 1967 and 1974, 54 of these jets were
manufactured by the German company. The plane was unique in that forward
swept wing was seen previously only on the World War II Junkers JU 287
bomber. The HFB 320 was configured to carry 8-12 passengers for business
or corporate transport. There was also a cargo only version
manufactured.

Tail number N171GA flew as a private jet
charter service out of Toledo. This aircraft, serial number 1037, was
manufactured in 1969 and is the only surviving flyable example in the
United States.

Portage Quarry, located south of Bowling
Green, is a popular SCUBA site known for water clarity with full
amenities for divers at all levels. The recreational facility is also
known for its sand beaches and three sand volleyball courts. When the
jet is placed into service the quarry will be closed to recreational
divers and swimmers.

Videos of the weekend legends August 11 -13
discussions are now available on the Portage Quarry web site. Dr. Sam
Miller and Sam Lecocq presented a history of SCUBA diving and Alec
Peirce of Scuba 2000 discussed the legendary Sea Hunt television series.
Divers from as far west as California and from as far south as Louisiana
attended the event this year. Canada and Japan was also represented by
divers. A second annual Legends event is planned for August 10 -12 in
2007.

Dr. Miller has been diving since 1943. He has
appeared on the cover and was the first guest editor of Skin Diver
Magazine. He has authored numerous articles for Skin Diver, Scuba Pro
Diving, Historical Diver, Southwest Diver, Discover Diving, Los Angeles
Underwater News, NAUI News and currently writes a diving column for a
California news paper, the first and only regularly scheduled diving
column to appear in any US news paper.

Lecocq had worked with other dive legends
including famed Jacques Cousteau to develop self contained underwater
breathing apparatus (SCUBA) equipment. In 1958 Lecocq founded a company
based on early Healthways models called Sportsways for the manufacture
and distribution of recreational diving equipment. One of his first
products was a revolutionary single-hose regulator called the “Water
Lung”. He has over 35 patents on dive regulators, most of which are
still in use today.

Peirce attributes his interest in the sport of
SCUBA directly to his life-long hero, Lloyd Bridges, and to the TV show
Sea Hunt. He operates the largest scuba school in Canada and introduces
thousands of divers to the exciting sport of SCUBA diving each year.
Scuba 2000 is recognized as the finest scuba training facility in Canada
and one of the best in North America.

Hamburger Flugzeugbau GmbH

Model HFB 320 HANSA

Specification

Dimension

Serial
No.

1037

Manufactured Year

1969

Length

16.6 m
(54 ft 6 in)

Wing Span

14.5 m
(47 ft 6 in)

Wing Area

99 sq. m.
(324 sq ft)

Height

4.87 m
(16 ft 1 in)

Power
Plant

2 × GE
CJ610 turbojets

Static
Thrust Each Engine

13 kN
(2,850 lbf)

Maximum
cruising speed

900 km/h
(510 mph)

Maximum
take off weight

9,200 kg
(20,280 lb)

Maximum
fuel load

3,310 kg
(7,296 lb)

Empty
Weight

5,425 kg
(11,960 lb)

Maximum
payload

1,814 kg
(4,000 lb)

Passengers

8-12

Maximum
Cruising Speed

513 MPH /
0.76 Mach

Range
with IFR Reserves

1,570
miles (2,526 km)

ABOUT PORTAGE QUARRY: Located just one mile
south of Bowling Green in Northwest Ohio, the Portage Quarry Recreation
Club is a complete recreation facility that caters to the Scuba diver
enthusiast. The Scuba diver will experience some of the best
recreational diving in Ohio with clear water visibility, wreck diving,
and plenty of fish. The Scuba dive shop includes tank rentals, nitrox
fills, equipment, and PADI instruction. There are three professional
beach volleyball courts along with recreational swimming from a sand
beach. In the summer the Portage Quarry Recreation Club is home to two
music traditions, a music BlowOut the first weekend of July and the
annual . Also on the schedule is a Divers Alert Network (DAN)
Barbeque and the Advanced Aquatics Steak Roast. Trademarks are the
rights of the perspective companies.

Click here for more
information on this jet as it heads to its final resting place,
16 feet off Mike's Rock in 45 feet of water.